It only took a span of minutes before http://www.finalfantasy.com s servers experienced an increase in traffic (no, not a DDoS attack, though it might have felt like it) that ground them to a crawl earlier this week with the release of the first Final Fantasy movie trailers, information on the storyline, et cetera. One of the downfalls of the site is that it doesn't go into greater detail of what exactly we can expect from the storyline. What we do know: This will not be a retelling of any of the previous games; It's set on Earth in the year 2065 ( when Square will be releasing Final Fantasy XXXXI ) where "cities are deserted, the population is decimated, and the precious few humans who remain must find a way to survive"; the voice actors: Ming-Na, Alec Baldwin (no relation), James Wood, Donald Sutherland (we all loved him in Invasion of the Body-Snatchers), Ving Rhames, Steve Buscemi (Mr. Pink) and Peri Gilpin.

We've been looking for a way to answer everybody's questions about bleem! For Dreamcast, and figured what better way to do so than to go straight to the horse's mouth, so to speak. The makers of bleem! have been gracious enough to allow us to post their FAQ on GamesFirst! With so many rumors spreading around the Web, it can be hard to get the straight facts about this exciting new version of the "best little emulator ever made." So here you go  the real deal:

Keiko Randolph is the CEO of PetFish Company, and the driving force behind one of the most unique and technically impressive virtual pets out there. Via the PetFish website, http://www.petfish.com, users can download a huge variety of fishes for their enjoyment and companionship. But the product has an interesting background and exciting future plans. Keiko chatted with us about the past, present and future of PetFish.

Lorne Lanning is the President and Creative Director of Oddworld Inhabitants, undoubtedly one of the most interesting and exciting development houses in the gaming industry. Their first two titles, Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee and Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus, have raised the bar for games to come. The award-winning and best-selling titles incorporate an amazing storyline, insanely innovative gameplay, stellar production values, and a whole bagfull of originality. With two new titles in development for the PlayStation 2, Munch's Oddysee (due Fall of 2000) and Hand of Odd (due sometime after that), the folks at Oddworld look ready to create an all-out revolution in electronic entertainment. We got the chance to ask Lorne a few questions that we've been itching to hear the answers to. Here's what he had to say:

Just before E3 we received an email from a new company, Indrema, that is bringing a Linux-based console to the market next winter. With a tentative release date of December 2000, the Indrema L600 should launch with 30 titles, including Quake III: Arena, Unreal Tournament, Heavy Gear II, and Sim City 2000. The system is expected to retail for $299 and features an upgradeable graphics processor by NVidia, and there will be two versions to support both broadband and 56K users right out of the box. In addition, the package will include MP3 player software and a Mozilla-based web browser. The hardware specifications for the system are impressive, and the fact that the graphics processor is upgradeable will at least give the system some real longevity. Upgrades are expected to cost between $50 and $100, and may potentially be produced by companies other than NVidia, giving Indrema good mobility in the ever-changing GPU world.

Infogrames created a buzz when they acquired Hasbro Interactive this past year, and at E3 the company showed off some of the new franchises they plan on developing. Perhaps the most exciting prospect is the return of Atari, a very hushed buzz floating around the Infogrames booth. Atari, venerable videogame maker and the company responsible for such classic games as Galaga, made a splash at this year's E3 with their latest title: Water Bottle.

Today is the day. They are calling it "the biggest day in entertainment history." Why? The release of Sega's Dreamcast and Final Fantasy VIII. These momentous events, coupled with MTV's Video Music Awards, whose viewers will be barraged with Dreamcast advertisements, make it a pretty good day. With perhaps the largest cult following of any current series, Final Fantasy VIII is already blowing the minds of faithful denizens. The success of the latest FF installment was never in doubt. Sales will rise exponentially as the holiday season approaches. In fact, schoolyard gossip could spark a remarkable rise in sales this weekend. But what about Sega?